3.6.5 Output Section Data

You can include explicit bytes of data in an output section by using
BYTE, SHORT, LONG, QUAD, or SQUAD as
an output section command. Each keyword is followed by an expression in
parentheses providing the value to store (see Expressions). The
value of the expression is stored at the current value of the location
counter.

The BYTE, SHORT, LONG, and QUAD commands
store one, two, four, and eight bytes (respectively). After storing the
bytes, the location counter is incremented by the number of bytes
stored.

For example, this will store the byte 1 followed by the four byte value
of the symbol `addr':

BYTE(1)
LONG(addr)

When using a 64 bit host or target, QUAD and SQUAD are the
same; they both store an 8 byte, or 64 bit, value. When both host and
target are 32 bits, an expression is computed as 32 bits. In this case
QUAD stores a 32 bit value zero extended to 64 bits, and
SQUAD stores a 32 bit value sign extended to 64 bits.

If the object file format of the output file has an explicit endianness,
which is the normal case, the value will be stored in that endianness.
When the object file format does not have an explicit endianness, as is
true of, for example, S-records, the value will be stored in the
endianness of the first input object file.

Note—these commands only work inside a section description and not
between them, so the following will produce an error from the linker:

SECTIONS { .text : { *(.text) } LONG(1) .data : { *(.data) } }

whereas this will work:

SECTIONS { .text : { *(.text) ; LONG(1) } .data : { *(.data) } }

You may use the FILL command to set the fill pattern for the
current section. It is followed by an expression in parentheses. Any
otherwise unspecified regions of memory within the section (for example,
gaps left due to the required alignment of input sections) are filled
with the value of the expression, repeated as
necessary. A FILL statement covers memory locations after the
point at which it occurs in the section definition; by including more
than one FILL statement, you can have different fill patterns in
different parts of an output section.

This example shows how to fill unspecified regions of memory with the
value `0x90':

FILL(0x90909090)

The FILL command is similar to the `=fillexp' output
section attribute, but it only affects the
part of the section following the FILL command, rather than the
entire section. If both are used, the FILL command takes
precedence. See Output Section Fill, for details on the fill
expression.